Police arrested a man yesterday who broke into the grounds of a factory in the
Bnei Brak industrial district and made off with the security guard’s pistol
after a short struggle, police reported on Monday.

The incident happened
at a factory run by Elisra Electronic Systems, which manufacturers high-tech
electronic devices, including missile tracking and radar equipment, and is owned
by Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems Ltd.

There was one female security
guard on duty when the assailant allegedly scaled the short metal fence outside.
The assailant, who police said was brandishing a toy gun, fought with the guard
for around 40 seconds before he managed to flee with her pistol.

The
woman, who was lightly injured in the struggle, called police, who deployed
YASSAM special patrol units, as well as anti-terror unit officers, mounted
police and a helicopter supplied by the Israel Air Force to find the
assailant.

The man was later spotted hiding in the bushes outside the
Ayalon Mall and after a short chase was arrested by YASSAM officers, Dan
Sub-District Police Commander Albert Ohayon said at the scene of the robbery on
Monday.

Ohayon said that the suspect suffered a light injury to his hand
during the struggle with the security guard and was taken for treatment at
Ichilov Hospital at Sourasky Medical Center. He was later discharged and is
currently being questioned, Ohayon added.

Ohayon said that police have so
far ruled out terrorism as a motive of the robbery, despite the sensitive nature
of the facility. He confirmed that the suspect, a 44- year-old resident of the
Beduin village of Ibtin in the Zvulun Region, served a long sentence in an
Israeli prison in the past, but would not confirm for how long or for what
offense.